An Insider’s Guide to the Olympic Relay: Why the Fastest Runner Isn’t Always Last

Relay runners might be the original embodiment of #SquadGoals. Though they compete fiercely against one another in gut-wrenching sprints for individual glory, they come together afterward—sometimes just hours later—as a solid, four-person-strong force seeking Olympic gold. But there’s more to casting the race than simply throwing four fast people together. As the Jamaican runner Usain Bolt is expected to sprint for one last Rio medal in the 4x100 relay finals later this week, who should be selected for the three other coveted slots on his team? Should the fastest person lead off, or will he be more effective flinging himself across the line as the anchor leg?

As it turns out, the formula for a successful relay is as fluid as runner Allyson Felix’s elegant gait in the 400-meter, according to USC’s director of track and field, Caryl Smith Gilbert. But there are a few tried-and-true methods, and Smith Gilbert is betting we’ll see some later this week in Rio, as runners including Felix and the reigning fastest man on earth prepare to help carry their teams across the finish line in the 4×400 and 4×100 relays, respectively.

Just as with swimming, track relays require particular types of athletes with singular skills. But unlike pool-based races, runners pass a baton—the stick—in a designated zone on the track, so they have to be familiar with making and receiving handoffs. Sudden instances of butterfingers and dropped batons can cost time or even the race.

For the first slot of the 4x100, Smith Gilbert says you need “someone who can run a curve and break the stagger.” Try sprinting around a corner versus running straight ahead—you’ll quickly see the challenge here. Joe Douglas, founder of the Santa Monica Track Club and coach of former Olympians, including Carl Lewis, says runners must “push out” as they run the curve to counter the force of gravity.

The second leg is one of the longest in this race, and Smith Gilbert says the slot is perfect for someone like Felix. “She has a beautiful, long stride and can run long. A lot of people put a quarter miler here; I often put my fastest runner in this spot.” Though the race seems to be divided into equal parts, it’s really not. The second runner must get the stick in the passing zone that begins before her 100 meters and run into the curve to pass off to the next runner, who is already sprinting away. “You need your sharpest person third,” says Smith Gilbert. She likes a Florence Griffith Joyner type, “a great 200-meter runner who can get the stick on the curve,” for this spot.

The anchor leg is the shortest, so Smith Gilbert says some coaches put the slowest athlete here and tell them to hang on. “But in a heated race, you need Usain Bolt, someone who is hard-nosed who can close the race.” With his legacy on the line, you can bet the Jamaican champion will want the chance to pull his team through the finish line.

The 4x400 seems more straightforward; everyone runs a lap. But there’s serious strategy here, too. “The first runner needs to be levelheaded, to open up the race and give you a clean handoff so the rest of your legs don’t have to do a whole lot of work,” says Smith Gilbert. Douglas says he puts the runner who “comes out of the blocks the best” first, noting that athletes often spend too much energy at the start of the race, but his best starters conserve to maintain speed as long as possible.

In the second slot, Smith Gilbert favors someone sharp and fast—again, Felix comes to mind; she ran the fastest split during the gold medal–winning 4x400 in London in 2012—who is also “pretty gritty in case they have to fight it out” to get to the inside of the track first when the runners break out of their designated lanes during the second lap. The steadiest runner goes third, she says: “Someone who can hold her own.” And both Smith Gilbert and Douglas agree that the anchor leg is the most important in the 4x400. “This runner has to bring it in; either lengthen the lead or run somebody down,” Smith Gilbert says. After all, gold is on the line.